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Hallelujah Night serves up different treats

By Bonnie HeaterNovember 8, 2010

Hallelujah Night serves up different treats
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT GORDON, Ga. --Hallelujah Night at Fort Gordon is not Halloween Night. In fact, it's not held on the same evening.

The annual event offers lots of candy and treats, but you don't have to walk door to door for it. This post-wide alternate to Halloween was sponsored by the Protestant Women of the Chapel and Fort Gordon's chapel congregations 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Army Reserve Center on Lane Avenue at 15th Street.

Hallelujah Night is open to children age 4 to 11 years old. Parents or guardians didn't have to concern themselves about their children's safety because they accompanied them and stayed to enjoy the activities with them. It wasn't just parents who attended there were grandparents too!

You didn't see witches, ghouls, or other evil costumes. Instead, the reserve center was full of biblical characters, American heroes, fairies, maidens, bumble bees, and other uplifting characters.

While some children made a beeline for the Air Castle, others made key chains, had their face painted or played biblical related games.

At the "Wall of Jericho," Chaplain (Capt.) Will Strong, marched the children around a fabricated brick wall explaining what happened at the Wall of Jericho. "When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and took the city [Joshua: 6:20]," said Strong. At that moment everyone in the circle around the wall stopped, Strong gave one of the children a ball which she threw at the wall knocking it down. A loud cheer rose from the participants.

Each of the children received a hefty handful of candy. A volunteer from PWOC, Faith Gospel or a Fort Gordon church member marked off their game cards. This happened at each game.

One of the parents, Lisa Green, said as she was leaving at the close of event, "I enjoyed being with my family here. It's our second year attending Hallelujah Night." Her daughter, Aubrey, age 7, dressed as a tiger, said she liked the "Fishing for Jesus" game the best.